"Patient Anticipation" is featured in Megaphone's 2012 Voices of the Street literary anthology. To read an interview with Ruth at the Voices of the Street launch, click here.
patient anticipation
or ambiguous hopes
define
moments that passed her by
opportunities taken by others
achievements and accolades
won by those she wished she’d be
she feels movement
comprehending paradox
dancing
through what is left behind
sadness glistens
like a sugar granule
that has lost its sweetness
where have the people gone
from the shadows of what is past
teardrops like dew that dries up
and no one ever notices or cares
where is the abundance of friendship
the surrogate family that reciprocates for
those who faded away
into heavenly places
she sits in silence
and unseen or unvisited chains
that tie her to immobility
and a vision of what is past
or lost
she gets around
due to progress
and through the smiles of strangers
she finds a glimmer
a longing for someone to connect with
then at a bus stop
strangers become her family and friends
but only for a moment
alone at home
she sits silently
and patiently
awaiting renewal
and for peace
that is without complete solitude
for peace exists within
and all around
but what good is it
when the imperfect silence that unfolds
within this realm
envelopes the existence of loneliness
and loss
and deafens the hope of oneness
with loving companions
until time steals all hope
and peace exists alone
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